Su Ping didn’t know what to say when the general talked about death in such a casual way. His galaxy was peaceful and safe from the beasts because a group of them had sacrificed themselves in places he didn’t know.
The young man who had golden wheels in his eyes and Su Jin’er didn’t seem too affected by this, as if already aware of the matter.
“We will serve here after we rise to the Ascendant State,” whispered the young man who had golden wheels in his eyes.
The general who was responsible for defense replied with a smile. It was very likely that he would have died in battle by then, as all the soldiers would, but he didn’t feel regretful nor that the situation was unfair.
All of them had their own beliefs; their reasons to live were different.
Su Ping said after leaving the place, “Void beasts attack this area every couple of days; a small battle just took place the day before we came. They will probably come again tonight or tomorrow. I suggest we stay and take part in the battle to learn more about void beasts before we set out to hunt.”
A frowning Su Jin’er said, “Have you just turned benevolent, wanting to do your part after hearing what the general said?”
Su Ping shook his head and said, “Of course not. Our top priority right now is to improve ourselves. A single move we make will be hundreds of times more effective than one right now when we reach the ascendant state. We will be worth a whole army if we ever reach the Celestial State.
“I made the proposal only for safety reasons.”
Su Jin’er glanced at him and nodded. “That’s good. However, you shouldn’t have talked like that, especially when it involves the Celestial State, or rumors may spread out. You should still be cautious, even if you have a Celestial State master right now.”
Su Ping smiled and said, “That’s fine. We’re alone here; I would have to look for you in case I need answers.”
Su Jin’er glanced at him and the young man with golden wheels in his eyes. Then she said, “In that case, let’s meet again when the void beasts come.”
“Sure.”
Su Ping agreed.
Su Ping wandered on the island after they departed; there were a lot of places of entertainment on the island, but most establishments were hospitals and supply quarters. It came as a surprise for Su Ping to see stores of major brands. He later found out that such stores were there as a sort of donation.
Earning money from the people, and doing things for the people. They’re conscientious corporations.
The items sold there were cheaper and of a higher quality than those outside; all of them were special products.
All the mecha and pet armor sold there were of top tier; their prices were low, even though none of them was flawed.
The military offered free battle supplies too in some places.
Su Ping was too wealthy to ask for such supplies. However, it became increasingly clear to him that other human elites were also doing their part to help in the battle against void beasts.
He saw a lot of wounded soldiers in some hospitals, as well as their bloodstained pets. The scene was quite gory, but to his surprise, the hospitals were weirdly peaceful. The wounded soldiers joked about women, warships and pets; some were even competing over the number of beasts they killed.
Even if death might be right around the corner, so what?
They only needed to face it with an open attitude and fight until the last moment of their lives.
Then, they would be able to die in peace.
Su Ping was deeply touched. He had seen a lot of strong creatures and was awed many times when he explored cultivation sites; however, he sensed something truly admirable from those ordinary battle pet warriors who were even weaker than him.
A team recognized him while he wandered around. Its leader came forward and asked in surprise, “Brother Su, you’re not in a team?”
Su Ping looked at him and remembered that he was one of the rankers in the top twenty. He shook his head and said with a smile, “I’m already in one.”
The young man wasn’t too surprised; Su Ping was so strong that anyone would want to have him as a teammate. He said with a smile, “Brother Su, you’re still not leaving? A beast tide will come soon. You’ll have to stay for the battle if you don’t go. It’ll be an awful waste of time.”
Su Ping was slightly surprised, but then he realized that the guy must have found out about the frequency of the void beast invasions through other sources. He said, “There’s not enough time. I’m planning to stay until the end of the battle before I go hunting.”
“You’re joining the battle?” The young man was even more surprised, and so were his teammates.
Taking part in the battle was seen by them as a huge waste of time, since they had made the trip for the test, not for the soldier’s sake.
“The lord-level beasts killed during the tide won’t be considered as ours, will they?” asked the young man in confusion.
Su Ping shook his head. “It has nothing to do with hunting; it’s just my personal decision.”
The young man didn’t ask further since he saw that Su Ping wasn’t interested in talking. He then simply said with a smile, “Congratulations on passing the test in advance then, Brother Su.”
“Brother Su is definitely capable of accomplishing the task.”
“If Brother Su can’t, it would be even less likely for us to accomplish it.”
The man’s teammates chipped in with flattery of their own.
After all, Su Ping had performed in an astonishing manner and ranked second in the hunting round. Those people were well-informed by their organizations; all of them had learned that Su Ping was the champion in his galaxy.
There were altogether twelve star zones. None of their champions were simple!
Su Ping smiled and casually said, “Thank you.” After all, those people were top talents too; they had the chance to rise to the Ascendant State. They were both competitors and comrades.
They would certainly be a lot closer when they rose to the Ascendant State.
The others replied with smiles after seeing that Su Ping was friendly, and talked to Su Ping for a while longer. Then, they left in a hurry to search for the lord-level void beasts.
That night—
Su Ping was resting in his residence when alarms echoed throughout the island!
The humming alarms woke him up. Their sound was rather refreshing; even those who were deep in their cultivation would be woken up.
The beast tide is coming.
Su Ping’s eyes glittered. He rose, quickly picked up his weapon and left his residence.
A few Star Lords were ready to act. One of them announced, “Everybody, listen up! You have now been enlisted to Team No. 1! Gather in front of me in ten seconds! Those who are late will be punished and sent to Lord Supreme!”
All the geniuses still in their residences were shocked; they moved quickly to join the others outside.
It would be a great embarrassment if they were punished and sent to Lord Supreme.
The first to arrive was Su Ping; he soon saw Su Jin’er and the young man with golden wheels in his eyes approaching. The other geniuses were also rushing over; all the thirty geniuses present were gathered in the blink of an eye. The others had already left to hunt lord-level void beasts.
Su Ping saw that only one of the top ten contestants remained. He was a black-haired young man who had ranked eighth; his skin was bronze-colored, but his eyes were silver.
The guy sensed Su Ping’s gaze. He looked back and was stunned for a moment; then, he nodded.
Su Ping nodded back.
“Very good. The others have left the island to continue with the test, while you chose to stay. Personally speaking, I appreciate your spirit. Now, you will follow my orders… If not, no matter how proud and talented you are, I will personally maim you as punishment!” said the fearsome Star Lord.
Everybody’s faces changed ever so slightly, but none of them said a thing.
“I know you come from powerful backgrounds, but I don’t fear any retaliation. Try me if you dare,” added the Star Lord with a sneer.
Those who were disdainful a moment earlier became solemn; they knew that the soldiers present were no strangers to death, and they might really kill them.
All of a sudden, a distant noise that sounded like a dragon roar descended from the sky.
Moo!!
Dark brown shadows emerged in the murky purple sky; they were like giant bees, except that they had many more legs, which were very sharp. Some of them even had human faces on their shells. They were hideous looking, seemingly about to devour flesh.
The void beasts all cried and swooped excitedly upon seeing the island, as if they had just seen food.
“Prepare to attack!”
The general responsible for defense announced brutally, “Join me as we kill void beasts in Sector Seven!”